Thermal expansion and lattice dynamics under pressure of ZnS,ZnSe and ZnTe

The thermal expansion against temperature of ZnS, ZnSe and ZnTe is studied theoretically using the experimental pressure dependence of elastic stiffness constants and phonon frequencies. The mode Grüneisen parameters obtained from the high pressure effect on the one- and two- phonon Raman spectra at the metallic transition pressure by Weinstein are used originally, but do not reproduce the experimental linear expansion coefficient at high temperatures. The contributions from optical modes with large phonon frequency are important to the thermal expansion at high temperatures, and a set of mode Grüneisen parameters, which bring good agreement with the observed linear expansion coefficient not only at low temperatures, but also at high temperatures, are obtained. Then, the phonon dispersion curves of ZnS, ZnSe and ZnTe at their metallic transition pressures are quantitatively shown.